What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete electrical transformers anywhere in North Carolina. This page covers equipment from 15 kVA distribution units to 100 MVA power transformers, including complete assemblies, stripped tanks and mixed removal lots.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 15 - 20,000 kVA | 34.5 kV | Liquid or dry |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
Distribution transformers
Padmounts and pole-mounted transformers are part of the buying scope, including single-phase pole cans and three-phase distribution units. A readable nameplate should show kVA, primary voltage, secondary voltage and serial number.
For a 12.47 kV padmount, include photographs of the elbow compartments, tank seams and bayonet fuse covers.
Failed distribution units can still qualify, but the failure matters. Report a burned bushing, winding fault, leaking gasket or damaged cabinet rather than calling everything scrap.
Units removed from Duke Energy or municipal utility service also need clear ownership documentation; a contractor's possession alone does not establish authority to transfer them.
Local reality
Substation and power transformers
Substation and power transformers require more information than a photograph across the fence. Units up to 100 MVA can be reviewed using nameplate data, drawings and condition records.
Identify primary and secondary voltages, cooling designation, tap changer type, oil volume and whether radiators or bushings have already been removed.
A 115 kV transformer with damaged windings is a different removal job from an intact spare sitting beside its foundation. Tank dimensions, shipping weight, lift points and haul access determine the handling plan.
Note overhead conductors, narrow gates and whether a lowboy can reach the pad without crossing underground duct banks.
Around the site
Dry-types and cast resin
Ventilated dry-type and cast-resin transformers belong in the review, including 480 V building distribution equipment and medium-voltage units. Photograph the nameplate, enclosure and exposed coils where access is authorized.
State whether the winding conductor is copper or aluminum if documented; paint color and enclosure size cannot establish conductor material.
Hospital basement units and plant mezzanine transformers often need a removal plan before acceptance. Door openings, freight elevator limits and floor loading can rule out an otherwise practical lift.
Describe cracked resin, water intrusion, burned insulation or missing enclosure panels, and identify any attached bus duct that remains connected.
Where it sits
Specialty units
Generator step-up transformers, grounding transformers, rectifier transformers and furnace transformers need their actual service identified. A GSU removed from a North Carolina generating site may have unusual bushings, auxiliary wiring or protection connections.
Send the nameplate and connection diagram rather than describing it only as a large three-phase tank.
Special-purpose designs are reviewed individually because duty and construction change the handling requirements. Furnace service can leave severe thermal damage; rectifier service may involve multiple secondary windings.
Include maintenance records, fault history and photographs of separate cooling equipment, conservators and control cabinets so the proposed lot has defined boundaries.
On the ground
Scrap and partial units
Scrap candidates include failed oil-filled transformers, separated core-and-coil assemblies, empty tanks and damaged dry-types. List what remains: copper or aluminum windings, core steel, bushings, radiators and insulating liquid.
A tank described as empty still needs its drain status and residue condition documented before transport or handling is planned.
Fire damage, missing windings and mixed debris can make a partial unit unsuitable for purchase. Photographs should show the tank interior where safely accessible and identify loose components belonging to it.
Oil-soaked soil, concrete and absorbents are not transformer components and cannot be folded into an ordinary equipment lot.
Local reality
Lots and whole rooms
Multiple transformers from a plant closure, utility yard or demolished facility can be reviewed together. Build a unit-by-unit list with serial numbers, kVA or MVA, voltages and approximate weights.
Mark each photograph to match that list, especially when similar padmounts sit in rows or dry-types occupy adjacent electrical rooms.
Whole-room projects need a defined transformer scope, not an assumption that every cabinet will be removed. Identify switchgear, bus duct and cables separately, along with isolation responsibilities and access restrictions.
For a bankruptcy estate, include documentation identifying the owner and the person authorized to approve transfer and site access.
Around the site
What we turn down
Equipment with unresolved PCB liability is not accepted. An old nameplate or a verbal statement that the oil is clean does not settle that question.
Where PCB status is uncertain, provide representative laboratory results, sampling identification and service records linking the result to the specific tank under review.
Asbestos-era units with suspect insulation, barriers or arc-resistant materials may be declined until qualified assessment resolves the hazard. Severely contaminated tanks, unidentified liquid and inaccessible equipment can also be unsuitable.
Small stripped shells with little recoverable material may not justify a dedicated removal, particularly where crane access or containment remains unresolved.
Local reality
The line we do not cross
We buy transformers. We do not sell them, refurbish them for resale, or hold stock for a catalogue. That single fact explains most of what this site does and does not contain: there are no prices, no product pages and no cart.
It also means the offer you get is for the unit as it stands, with the rigging and the paperwork included, rather than a trade-in against something newer.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Can you buy a transformer with failed windings?
Yes, failed windings do not automatically disqualify a transformer. The review needs the nameplate, photographs, failure description and insulating-liquid records where applicable. A winding fault inside an intact tank presents different handling concerns from a ruptured tank with leaked oil or fire debris.
Service area
What information is needed for a mixed transformer lot?
Provide a separate entry for each unit showing serial number, rating, voltage, condition and location within the site. Match photographs to those entries. Include ownership authorization, liquid status and access details, especially when the lot combines pole cans, padmounts and basement dry-types.
Payment
Are older transformers accepted without PCB documentation?
Age alone does not establish PCB status, and unresolved PCB liability prevents acceptance. Depending on the unit and its records, review may require laboratory testing tied to the tank's serial number.
Logistics
Scrap and partial units: what should a seller know?
Scrap candidates include failed oil-filled transformers, separated core-and-coil assemblies, empty tanks and damaged dry-types. List what remains: copper or aluminum windings, core steel, bushings, radiators and insulating liquid.